California

Five Generations of Women Ranching in California

Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:03:34 GMT

There is cracked plaster above Grace Magruder’s desk at Ingel-Haven Ranch, the marks of a house that has carried generations and is still standing. Magruder describes it almost with affection, the way someone might notice the lines around a person’s eyes and recognize a life that has been lived.

The house in Potter Valley, Calif., has been holding women for more than a century, carrying the weight of decisions made long ago and the pattern of people choosing, again and again, to return.

A Century of Returning

Magruder’s great-grandmother, Helen, first walked through that doorway in 1919 after her father bought the land so she and her new husband could settle there while he was still strong enough to help them get started. It was the kind of gesture families make when land is both livelihood and inheritance.

Helen stepped into a life shaped by livestock, weather and land that asks something of you every single day and doesn’t much care if you’re tired. Helen met this demand head-on.

“You did not get between her and a chicken she was going to slaughter. She was a serious, serious lady,” Magruder says.

Seriousness can become its own inheritance. Helen raised two daughters on the ranch, and one eventually bought out her sister and continued the operation with her husband. The ranch moved forward because a woman chose to stay, and it moved forward again because another woman returned.

Another Helen, Magruder’s aunt, belongs in the story as well. She grew up on the ranch and later returned in the 1970s and 1980s to run a children’s summer camp there. Kids from the nearby cities would arrive each summer and sleep in tents and cabins while learning to ride horses and explore the ranch. For many of them, it was their first real experience of the land.

Over time Aunt Helen became the ranch’s most enthusiastic ecological observer, paying close attention to the birds, the creeks and the quieter corners of the landscape that others might pass without noticing.

“This ranch really owes itself to the women who decided to come back,” Magruder says. “They were never obligated to return. No one assigned them the responsibility of keeping it going. They chose it.”

Over the decades the ranch kept reshaping itself in the hands of those women. It began with sheep, as much of Mendocino County did in the early 20th century, when wool was the backbone of the local grazing economy. Later the ranch shifted toward cattle when Magruder’s grandmother took over the operation with her husband and decided sheep no longer suited either the landscape or their way of working. The ranch was never treated as something fixed, and what mattered was keeping the land productive and the family on it.

Magruder’s father continued that pattern of reinvention. After earning a master’s degree in sculpture, he returned to the ranch and began experimenting with ideas that were only just beginning to circulate in American agriculture. He noticed that the ranch grew grass well and began holding cattle longer, finishing them on pasture rather than sending them into conventional grain systems. He also began talking about rotational grazing before it became a common language in the industry.

At the same time, he kept one foot in the art world, teaching at the local college while managing the cattle operation. In this family, art and agriculture were never separate paths; they ran alongside each other.

By the time Magruder was growing up, the ranch had become an early example of grass-finished beef sold directly to customers. That model worked well for many years, until the realities around it began to shift. Slaughterhouses closed, markets tightened and weather became less predictable.

Each of those pressures required another adjustment, and you learned to observe what the land is offering, notice what the moment requires, and reshape the business accordingly.

Every generation did it a little differently; the land never stayed static and neither did the women caring for it.

Magruder herself left for eight years and built another life in Boston, studying American history and arts administration. She remembers knowing for a long time that she would return.

“I had known this was my path for a while,” she says.

When we talk about her earliest memories, you can hear the smile in Magruder’s voice. Rain hammering on a tin roof, the smell of hay dropping into winter stalls, cattle coming in from the weather, calves being raised on the ranch until they were 2 years old. “You got to see every step of their life,” she says.

Watching the full arc of an animal changes how you think about stewardship. You begin to understand the rhythm of growth and recovery, and the cost of rushing either.

(Halter)

The Physical Toll of Stewardship

Magruder also saw what decades of physical ranch work can do to a body. “I watched my dad get kind of gnarled by the ranch,” she says.

There were valves buried underground that required digging and wrenching hard enough to force water through the system, miles of fence to build and repair, posts to pound into uneven ground. Wire to stretch again and again across pasture.

“That work adds up over the years. It really does.”

(Halter)

Digital Boundaries, Natural Freedom

When Magruder and her husband, Kyle, stepped fully into managing the ranch, the conditions around them were shifting again. Slaughterhouses closed, margins tightened, rainfall patterns became less predictable. Elk began returning to the valley in larger numbers, which was very exciting for a family managing the land with wildlife in mind.

“This is such a dynamic climate,” Magruder says. “We couldn’t just have a stocking rate that worked every year.”

The land was asking for flexibility, and cattle needed to move regularly so grass could recover and wildlife could move through the landscape. Traditional fencing systems demanded constant physical work.

When the couple began exploring virtual fencing through Halter, they had their children front of mind.

“Being able to rotate the cattle regularly without physically building and moving fence is a game-changer,” Magruder says. “There is no point at which you’re unfit to rotate animals now.”

The ranch still requires judgment about grass height, water placement and herd health. Those decisions now translate into digital boundaries drawn from a phone. Cattle move calmly across the landscape without posts and wire defining every edge rotations can happen daily, grazing becomes more precise and wildlife movement can be accommodated without tearing down physical infrastructure.

(Halter)

After a few weeks of using Halter, she told Kyle, “I don’t want a ranch any other way. I love the dynamic of moving cattle comfortably and slowly and intentionally, across the landscape.”

For Magruder’s aunt Helen, that shift has opened up. Being able to guide cattle away from sensitive nesting areas and riparian corridors means parts of the ranch can recover while the rest continues to function as working land.

These days she shares her knowledge with Magruder’s children — June and Walter — through nature walks and birdwatching, passing on stories about the birds, the seasons and the life that exists alongside the cattle.

“We’ll be able to graze the way we want into later years in our lives,” Magruder says. “We’re not worried about having to switch careers when it becomes too hard.”

The Magruder Family

(Halter)

Grazing Into the Future

For this family, the question has always been how to stay in it, how to care for the land without grinding down the people doing the work and how to adapt as weather shifts and wildlife returns.

Five generations of women have shaped Ingel-Haven Ranch. Each inherited land already marked by the decisions of the last, and each adjusted the model to fit her moment. Virtual fencing becomes part of that lineage now. Another tool chosen by someone determined to keep the ranch viable, responsive and alive.

The cracked plaster above Magruder’s desk remains, and the house continues to hold the story of women returning. The land keeps asking for care, and the women keep answering.

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Legislation to Delist the Mexican Wolf Advances

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 22:11:58 GMT

The House Natural Resources Committee advanced the Enhancing Safety for Animals Act of 2025 (H.R. 4255) with bipartisan support. The bill would remove federal ESA protections for the Mexican wolf, restoring commonsense wildlife management authority and providing much-needed relief to cattle producers and rural communities across the Southwest. The next step for the bill is to be presented to the full House for a vote.

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) and Public Lands Council (PLC) strongly support H.R. 4255, which would reduce regulatory barriers that have prevented effective management to safeguard livestock and rural communities from this abundant apex predator.

“For decades, cattle producers have borne the cost of federal policies that prioritize paperwork over practical wildlife management. The Mexican wolf population has grown well beyond recovery goals, yet producers are left without the tools needed to protect their livestock, their families and their livelihoods,” says Oregon rancher and NCBA Policy Division Chair Skye Krebs. “This isn’t just a producer issue — it’s a rural community issue. When predators cannot be responsibly managed, it puts people at risk and undermines the stewardship efforts of those who live and work on the land every day. Delisting the Mexican wolf would allow wildlife professionals to use proven, science-based management tools to reduce conflict and restore balance.”

Because of its ESA status, Mexican wolf management remains heavily restricted, even in areas where wolf populations have expanded significantly. Producers face ongoing livestock depredation, disrupted grazing operations, and delayed or denied responses to problem animals — often with little to no compensation for losses.

“Whether it is Mexican wolves, grey wolves or grizzly bears, ranchers across the West face daily challenges with recovered species protected by the Endangered Species Act. This bill is a step toward alleviating the challenges southwestern producers face and would recognize the realities on the ground,” says Colorado rancher and PLC President Tim Canterbury. “This legislation is grounded in established science and restores commonsense in the listing determination. The Mexican wolf has recovered, now is the time for Congress to finish the job and pass this legislation.”

NCBA and PLC commend the House Natural Resources Committee for advancing this legislation and thank Rep. Paul Gosar for introducing a bill that recognizes conservation success while standing up for the men and women who help feed Americans.

Read More about Wolves:
House Approves Gray Wolf Protection Removal in a Victory for Cattlemen
Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools
The Cost of Coexistence With Wolves

JBS Announces Plan to Close California Plant

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 17:55:47 GMT

Swift Beef Co., a JBS subsidiary, plans to permanently close its case-ready production plant on Feb. 2, 2026, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notice to the California Employment Development Department.

Located in Riverside, Calif., the closure will affect 374 employees.

“JBS USA has announced the planned closure of its case-ready production facility in Riverside, Calif., as part of a strategic initiative to optimize its value-added and case-ready business and simplify operations across its network,” says Nikki Richardson, a spokesperson for JBS, to Meat+Poultry . “Production for current customers will be transitioned to other JBS facilities, ensuring continuity of supply and service. The transition is underway and expected to conclude by early next year.”

The facility, located outside Los Angeles, processes beef for sale in grocers’ meat cases but does not slaughter cattle.

“As cattle numbers remain tight over the next two years, the packing industry is hampered by over-capacity,” says John Nalivika, Sterling Marketing Inc. president. “In response to negative margins that are partly a result of that over-capacity, plants will be closed as the industry begins to consolidate capacity and increase production efficiency. This will be a critical step in addressing negative margins, particularly as new plants are brought online with the latest technologies.”

Brad Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek says the closing should not have a big impact on the cattle market because it is a small cut and wrap plant and doesn’t do any slaughtering or initial processing.

Read More and Listen to Kooima’s comments
Cattle Hold Uptrend After Correcting with CA Plant Closure a Non-Event: Soybeans Fall Further

According to Reuters , “The company remains focused on delivering high-quality products and dependable service while strengthening its operational footprint to meet evolving market demands.”

JBS will shift production for its customers to other facilities, and workers will be eligible for jobs at other plants.

Last month, JBS projected its U.S. beef margins would likely tighten in the fourth quarter from the prior period due to the U.S. cattle shortage.

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Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:41:36 GMT

Ranchers repeatedly stress they are not advocating extermination of the wolves, but workable management solutions.

“We’re trying to be conservationists,” says Luke Morgan, Lightning Bolt Cattle Co. general manager. “Wolves are here to stay. We’ve got to have some tools to make it more holistic for people, wolves and the rest of the animals.”

Morgan manages 2,500 mother cows on multiple locations in Oregon and Washington utilizing both public and private lands. He says the split listing of wolves in Oregon is frustrating: “A line down the middle … federally listed on one side and not on the other … makes zero sense.”

Read more about the challenges rancher are facing with wolves:
Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Rick Roberti, California Cattlemen’s Association president and a cattle rancher in Sierra Valley, adds: “We don’t want to get rid of all the wolves. We just want them managed in a way we don’t suffer so many losses — for them to return to their natural habitat.”

Cattle producer Amy Anderson Fitzpatrick says her family has been dealing with wolves since 2011. Her family raises cattle in southern Oregon during the grazing season (May to December), then move the herd to winter in Northern California. The base ranch, called Rancheria Ranch, is in the mountains of Oregon and is a mix of owned land and permitted grazing.

Fitzpatrick explains state and federal laws severely limit ranchers’ ability to defend their livestock; only nonlethal hazing is allowed, and requests to remove or euthanize problematic wolves have been denied.

Here are two requests from the producers dealing with wolves:

1. Coexistence management tools.

This would allow flexible, rapid deployment of nonlethal and, when needed, targeted lethal tools to address habituated wolves near people and livestock.

“They have zero fear of humans,” Morgan says. “If we could instill a little fear, push them back into wilderness areas and keep them more of a wild animal.”

He suggests seasonal, expedited permits and field-response teams during calving; prioritize high-risk allotments and pastures.

Fitzpatrick adds: “Our wolves are not scared of us, because why should they be?”

2. Notification and data transparency for risk management.

Roberti requests for more notification and data sharing regarding wolves. He says with collared wolves, agencies can tell ranchers when wolves enter their property, but he says: “We’ve been getting the reports after the kill.”

He would also like to know how many wolves there are and would like to see a deer survey done.

“If there’s not enough prey, you’re pretty much saying they’re going to eat cattle,” Roberti says.

Fitzpatrick expresses frustration with public perception and how the pro-wolf sentiment on social media downplays or ignores ranchers’ struggles with the predators.

Despite the ongoing hardships, Fitzpatrick says her family remains committed to ranching while calling for a level playing field that would allow effective protection of their livelihood.

Paul Roen, a Sierra County rancher, adds unified, more flexible regulations and continued collaboration between local, state and federal agencies is needed. He advocates for policy reform, increased documentation and knowledge-sharing to better equip rural communities to manage the realities of coexisting with wolves.

Roberti summarizes that sensible management policies will allow both wolves and ranchers to coexist, but he stresses that unless balance is restored and ranchers’ voices are heard, both the rural way of life and broader ecosystem could face severe consequences.

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Nightly Battles and Big Losses: Ranchers Demand Reform as Wolves Continue to Wreak Havoc

Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:42:51 GMT

It’s hard to fathom: 92 confirmed or probable kills of cattle by three wolves during one season (April to October 2025) in the Sierra Valley. For ranchers, it’s more than economical loss — the emotional toll of dealing with wolves targeting their livestock and livelihoods is real.

Reintroduction and management of wolves in Sierra County, Calif., has led to significant challenges. The community, led by officials such as Paul Roen, has been actively pushing for updated management protocols, enhanced deterrence measures and better support from state and federal agencies to address the escalating wolf-livestock conflict.

Roen, a Sierra County supervisor (similar to a county commissioner) and rancher, explains it’s more than a livestock issue; it is a human safety issue.

“These wolves were not bothered by humans whatsoever. I mean, they were not acting like wild animals at all,” he says in reference to the wolves killing cattle earlier this year.

Rick Roberti, California Cattlemen’s Association president and a cattle rancher in Sierra Valley, adds: “For every confirmed kill you find, there’s probably four to six others. The wolves had gotten so used to eating cattle they didn’t hardly even look at a deer if they could find one.”

Roen and Roberti both stress the wolves have no fear of humans, with frequent sightings near homes and barns.

The severity of the attacks led Roen and other local officials to declare a state of emergency, drawing statewide and media attention. Despite the efforts of ranchers and local authorities — including constant night patrols, protective measures and deployment of technology like drones — wolf predation persisted. The community also engaged with state and federal resources, including a Strike Force sent by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to document the losses and explore possible intervention .

The program, designed to prevent livestock attacks on ranching properties in the heavily impacted Sierra Valley, deployed more than 18,000 staff hours across 114 days, engaging in 95 hazing events that helped to prevent an even greater loss in cattle deaths.

Eighteen Sierra Valley ranches enrolled in the program. CDFW staff also assisted ranches in evaluating the use of wolf-deterring fladry and ensuring livestock carcasses are correctly disposed to avoid attracting scavenging wolves. Additionally, the program helped facilitate depredation investigations, enabling ranchers to access compensation through CDFW’s Wolf-Livestock Compensation Program .

Following the unprecedented level of livestock attacks across the Sierra Valley, CDFW, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), took the step of lethally removing four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack.

“This action follows months of intensive non-lethal management efforts to reduce livestock loss and is grounded in the best available science and understanding of wolf biology,” according to the press release.

Roen says progress dealing with the wolf issue came with federal involvement and local law enforcement support. He says when the sheriff got involved , people woke up in Sacramento.

Read more about how sheriff departments from seven California counties united to oppose environmental polices they believe threaten ranchers and farmers.

Not Just California

The gray wolf is on the federal endangered species list except in the Northern Rocky Mountain region of Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, the eastern one-third of Oregon, Washington and north-central Utah. In Minnesota, the gray wolf is considered threatened. Because of these protections, killing a wolf in the states where it’s protected is illegal, even if it’s seen killing livestock.

Luke Morgan, Lightning Bolt Cattle Company general manager, has been dealing with wolves since 2011 when they first came to Oregon. Morgan manages 2,500 mother cows on multiple locations in Oregon and Washington using both public and private lands.

A pack of wolves that live on one of the Lightning Bolt ranches in western Oregon have been causing havoc the past couple years. According to Morgan, the wolves killed more than 25 head of livestock from mid-October to mid-November.

He says the wolves prey the weak-minded: “Whatever can’t take the pressure … the ones that will break and run.”

(CDFW)

Cattle producer Amy Anderson Fitzpatrick says her family has also been dealing with wolves since 2011. They raise cattle in southern Oregon during the grazing season (May to December), then move the herd to winter in Northern California. The base ranch, called Rancheria Ranch, is in the mountains of Oregon and is a mix of owned land and permitted grazing. The operation includes commercial cow herd plus some yearlings.

Since 2019, Fitzpatrick says at least 24 cattle deaths have been attributed to wolves, though actual losses are likely higher due to unconfirmed cases in the rugged terrain.

“I have learned far more about wolves and their behavior than I could ever imagine. Wolves kill for food, yes, but they also kill to hone their skills, teach their young and for fun. We have witnessed wolves literally bumping livestock bedded down to get them up and running to chase them,” Fitzpatrick says. “We’ve been dealing with it for about 14 years. … The earlier pack, the Rogue Pack, would hit Fort Klamath hard in the summer months when there was an abundance of yearling cattle, then in the fall they’d come over the hill to Rancheria and hit us. Now we deal with what is known as this Grouse Ridge Pack, which seems to just like to hang out at the ranch and hit our permit country in the summertime.”

Fitzpatrick says they previously anticipated up to five losses per year from cattle turned out on the range as a cost of doing business. With the increase in wolf population, the ranch tallied between 35 and 40 mostly weaned calves during the 2024 season.

The Rogue Pack would kill livestock as sport and not consume the animals. However, the current, larger pack tends to consume more carcasses, further complicating verification.

In Wisconsin over the past 12 months, wolf attacks on livestock have increased. According to the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR), there have been 62 livestock depredation incidents in 2025 — 45 killed and 17 confirmed harassments — all of which are either livestock or pets. That’s nearly double the number of incidents reported just three years ago.

According to the Wisconsin Farm Bureau : “Wisconsin’s wolf population has rebounded from extinction to an undeniable conservation success. But lately, it feels more like a horror story than a success story.”

Read more about how ranchers say they are willing to deal with wolves if they will return to their natural habitat:
Wolves Are Not Going Away: Ranchers Push for Practical Management Tools

(Paul Roen)

Financial Loss is Real

Herd-level effects beyond death loss include lower conception rates, 50 lb. to 75 lb. weaning weight declines and cow herd fear. Wolves have changed cattle behavior significantly.

Fitzpatrick says the presence of wolves has caused observable stress and aggression in the cattle, leading to behavioral changes, abortions and decreased weaning weights.

“Wolves actively harass resting cattle, preventing them from relaxing or thriving,” she says.

Morgan says herd experience more vulnerability during calving season. He points out calves and protective dams are high-risk with wolf attacks leading to increasing accidental calf deaths and stress-related herd disruptions.

Research by Tina Saitone, a University of California-Davis professor and cooperative Extension specialist in livestock and rangeland economics, found one wolf can cause up to $162,000 in annual financial loss .

Compensation is Available But Falls Short

Compensation frameworks exist but often lack speed and scope and require confirmations that are often unfeasible. Morgan says there’s not even close to enough funds in the pool to cover all the losses.

“There is money appropriated in California, but we’re just having a hard time getting it,” Roberti adds. “Most have been waiting since April.”

All four producers say depredations are significantly undercounted compared with real losses due to terrain, investigation lags and evidence requirements. A shared frustration is the fact if an animal is nearly completely consumed, the investigators can’t find the evidence it was a wolf attack and thus, it does not count as a wolf depredation.

Emotional Toll is Substantial

For cattle producers impacted by wolves, it’s more than the financial toll; it’s the human factor, the stress incurred.

“Financial-wise, it’s huge. It’s astronomical, if you really dig into it, but the mental capacity it takes from us and the people who work for us is huge,” Morgan says. “The emotional toll we have to go through just watching and observing cattle, and we spend every day we possibly can trying to keep these animals alive.

“There’s nothing pretty about the way [wolves] kill animals,” he continues. “For us to go out and find them or have to deal with that, it’s huge emotionally.”

Fitzpatrick explains the losses due to wolves have deeply affected her dad.

“My dad is 81 years old, and I have never seen him so depressed,” she explains. “He’s not the same; he’s lost the fight. It’s like we’ve lost. How do you put a price tag on that?”

Dealing with wolves it is a safety issue as well, Roberti adds. As producers stay up all night checking on and protecting their cattle. Fitzpatrick agrees, summarizing the stressful steps she takes to check cattle, noting she now avoids certain tasks due to the increased risks to herself and her dogs.

Documenting the events in Sierra County, Roen says he hopes their experiences can be used as a road map for others. He plans to share plans, forms and training materials with ranchers facing similar threats.

“We created different plans and trainings we will allow everybody to plagiarize,” he says.

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Siring Success: One California Farm’s Approach to Better Beef-on-Dairy Calves

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 21:09:45 GMT

Over the past seven years, Tony Lopes has steered his family’s fourth-generation California dairy through a remarkable transformation. Today, the family milks 5,000 cows across four locations, produces 3,800 beef-on-dairy crossbred calves and procures an additional 12,000-plus head from outside dairies and calf ranches annually, offering a model for other farms looking to diversify revenue and improve herd economics.

Lopes first got into beef-on-dairy during a period of expansion when the farm had extra pen space and a surplus of heifers.

“Beef-on-dairy was becoming the trendy thing to do, and it coincided with us going through an expansion,” he says. “The first question we had to ask ourselves was if we breed some of these lower-end animals to beef, can we still produce enough heifers. The answer was yes. It was a crawl-before-you-can-walk kind of experiment.”

Once the operation confirmed they could meet replacement needs using sexed semen, they stopped using conventional semen entirely and began focusing on generating as many beef-on-dairy cross calves as possible.

“From the first calves that hit the ground, we backgrounded them and sold them in small gooseneck loads. The math kept working, and as our volume increased, we moved up to 50,000-lb. loads,” Lopes recalls.

Over time, the program evolved even further. They now take calves in as day-olds or at 400 lb. to 450 lb., raising them to 700 lb. to 750 lb. before marketing. This growth gave Lopes the confidence to take full control of the genetics behind the operation.

“The entirety of our beef-on-dairy program today is sired by our own Angus genetics,” Lopes explains. “By 2022, we had enough data to confidently procure our own bulls, and in seven years we’ve gone from knowing nothing about the feedlot side of beef-on-dairy to making it an incredibly big piece of our operation.”

Not Held Back By Tradition
“I’ve always had a passion for genetics and have been interested in what genetic inputs can result in better performance outputs,” Lopes says.

So, when beef-on-dairy began gaining traction, he found himself watching the space closely.

“When we were all starting out, there were a lot of questions,” Lopes recalls. “It seemed like the whole industry, at the same time, was trying to figure out what to breed our cows to. Every stud company, every region, at that point, had a little bit of a different answer.”

After experimenting with several breed compositions, the decision ultimately came down to market demand.

“What drove our decision to go Angus was just buyer demand,” Lopes says. “From an animal husbandry standpoint, we were trying to do everything we could to raise a good quality calf. And as we were building relationships with buyers, they were pretty consistently saying: ‘Hey, we’d really prefer if you just made these all Angus.’”

Lopes emphasizes that genetic decisions on the farm are driven by data and economics, not tradition.

“We’re big believers in making genetic decisions based on dollars and cents as opposed to just a biased opinion or tradition,” he explains. “When we started getting kill data back and looked at the economic drivers of our decisions, we arrived at a conclusion: These are the trait compositions that are going to result in more profitability.”

That analysis led the farm to source a specific set of elite Angus bulls, genetics they couldn’t consistently find in any single company’s lineup. According to Lopes, the breed’s data quality, quantity and large population size made it a logical choice for maximum genetic progress.

“Fortunately, in the Angus seedstock world, elite genetics are well distributed throughout the industry,” Lopes says. “There are a substantial number of bull sales every spring and fall. We were able to find the bulls most elite for the traits we care about, and that just kind of grew from there.”

Still, choosing to buy and use their own bulls came with uncertainty at first.

“It was a little leap at the time, but as we continue to aggregate more and more data, we’re very glad we made that investment and very confident in the performance advantages we’re seeing from our selected sires,” Lopes says.

Data-Driven Decisions
Lopes relies on rigorous data collection and economic modeling to guide breeding decisions.

“Everything we do is built into an economic model from the standpoint of profitability,” Lopes explains. “We look at all the things that go into what we’re asking the animal to do. We’re asking the animal to hang the heaviest carcass possible in the shortest number of days.”

It’s a model that pushes the operation to look beyond individual traits and consider how they work together. The goal isn’t simply to make better cattle but to make cattle that deliver the greatest economic return.

“We’re financially incentivized not just for pounds but for quality. If a carcass grades Prime and we’re chasing the best feed conversion, we have to evaluate those trade-offs,” Lopes says. “A 1% gain in feed conversion versus a 1% increase in Prime percentage delivers very different financial outcomes. Our system converts each of those factors into dollar-and-cents projections so we can prioritize which traits deserve the most weight in our selection process.”

But to understand which traits truly move the needle, the process starts with the carcass data connected to each animal.

“We receive kill data on every individual carcass and tie it back to that animal’s ID — hot carcass weight, backfat, ribeye area, marbling score, yield grade and more,” Lopes says. “We can link all of it to genetics and to management factors like sex, birth date, colostrum score and how many times the calf was treated for pneumonia or other illnesses.”

When those metrics are layered together, the picture becomes much clearer.

“By combining all these data points, we can isolate the genetic components from management influences,” he says. “That helps us make smarter decisions about both genetic selection and day-to-day herd management.”

Eyes on the Future
Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Lopes remains bullish on the future of beef-on-dairy.

“I would say there’s a lot of people who think we can’t make any more beef-on-dairy calves than we are now. I don’t share that opinion,” Lopes says. “Producers could likely produce more calves with an optimized approach, using sexed semen and beef genetics. Even in five years, regardless of where beef prices are in the cycle, I think beef-on-dairy will remain a mainstay in the industry. It’s transformational for genetic progress, herd efficiency and revenue.”

On the replacement side, he sees a market that is tighter than ever but still overstocked in certain areas.

“Almost every dairy has fewer heifers than in recent memory, but some still have more than they need,” Lopes says. “Cull rates and herd management mean many farms are comfortable with lower turnover, yet heifers exist — just not where they’re needed. I know I’m in the minority, but I think there’s still an overabundance relative to actual demand.”

For his own operation, Lopes plans measured growth in 2026.

“We’re looking to expand the number of calves we bring in and work with strong operators across the western United States,” Lopes says. “The market is uncertain. Recent futures and processing news make it hard to know whether we’re sourcing at high or low values, but we’re confident there’s still value in beef-on-dairy calves, and we intend to continue growing.”

Sustainability Isn’t a Bad Word

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:50:30 GMT

In the Sierra Pelona Mountains northeast of Los Angeles, Calif., Mike Williams and his wife, Lynda, manage Diamond W Cattle Co. The ranch sits in a high desert climate with rugged hillsides of short grasses, shrubs, oaks trees and yucca plants.

Though, the nearly 200 head cow-calf operation wasn’t passed down from generation to generation. Originally from Idaho, Williams was looking for something to do when he got out of the Army.

“Somebody mentioned this guy, and I talked to him and found out what a horseshoer could do out in California. So, I came out here to shoe horses initially,” Williams explains. “I’ve worked as a cowboy for a lot of years and always wanted to be a rancher, but a lot of well-meaning people had told me that that’s kind of pie in the sky stuff, and you probably better get ahead by getting a real job. And when I finally decided to buy our first 10 steers, I talked a guy that was running a bunch of yearlings in a ranch over in Simi Valley in Ventura County, to let me throw my 10 out with the ones he was running, and that’s where we kind of got started.”

He continued to build from there, taking opportunities as they came to grow a little at a time and partner with other ranchers on leases. Now, Diamond W Cattle Co. has commercial cows Williams breeds to Angus bulls on 12,000 acres.

“We have also run yearlings, and currently we will keep our own calves after we wean them, depending on forage availability and things like that,” he says. “That’s kind of how we run the first stage of our drought plan. If we have the feed, we keep our calves. If we don’t, then we will sell the calves. Sometimes we might sell just the steers. Sometimes we’ll sell them all. We like to keep the heifers and breed them and then sell them as bred heifers if we have the forage available.”

Most of their moisture accumulates as rain during the winter and spring. Drought is a constant threat for Williams and nearly wiped out his entire herd a few years ago.

“The rain fall amounts are highly variable,” he says. “As a guy starting out, you know getting bigger, sooner or later you’re going to hit a catastrophic drought, which I ran into and almost put me out of business.”

They bought back what they could afford, which included many variations of commercial cattle. Through the changing moisture, Williams has learned to be flexible and take advantage of the rain when it comes, planning for future droughts.

Sustainable Success

Williams was first introduced to the U.S. Roundtable of Sustainable Beef (USRSB) when he was representing the California Cattlemen’s Association.

“I started because I didn’t trust them. Anything with the word ‘sustainable’ on it kind of left a bad taste in my mouth at that time,” Williams explains. “Over the years, the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef developed an organization that basically brought the supply chain together around these sustainability issues.”

Williams continues to stay involved in USRSB, eventually becoming chairman and now currently the immediate past chair.

“We took that concept and kind of defined it in a way that was real and practical and science based, that can be understood no matter from the consumer to the producer,” Williams says. “For a rancher it essentially boils down to is sustainable is what it’s always been. Sustainable ranching is just good ranching. The main concept is continuous improvement.”

No matter the cattle producer’s perspective of environmental or economic issue, good ranching builds sustainability both for that individuals’ cattle and for the land. Williams defines sustainability as something ranchers intuitively have always understood. Nobody still operates like they would have in the 70s or 80s. The process of innovating to make operations more efficient has built operations to be more sustainable. The ranchers who are successful are the ranchers who will stay around for years to come.

“Building healthy soils is good for ranching. It also happens to be good for the climate,” Williams explains. “Those same practices apply, and it doesn’t matter if the producer is concerned about climate change or not. If he’s concerned about having a better ranching operation with better forage production and better soils, he’s going to do the same thing. The same thing applies to water quality and quantity, animal welfare and finances.”

As Williams builds back his herd and continues to increase sustainability, he isn’t looking to grow in numbers but rather efficiency.

“I’m not really looking to take on a lot of a lot more land or anything like that. We’ll watch for opportunities but mostly just try to improve on what I got, improve the genetics of my cows,” he says. “We’re getting to the point where we’re going to a 60-day calving window and still hitting close to 94% conception rate. I’m really happy with our cow size, and we’re building some more uniformity into our females. Just take what I got and try to make it a little better.”

Williams is also incorporating virtual fencing in the coming years as a grazing management tool, but that requires him to upgrade his water infrastructure as well.

“Being sustainable in the past doesn’t mean you’re sustainable in the future, and so, as ranchers, we need to be on the top of our game because as time goes on there’s less room for mistakes,” Williams adds. “Maybe because your parents or grandparents or even you’ve built some cushion into your operation, but you have to always be looking for ways to improve your production metrics, to improve your soils, to improve your financial situation in order to make sure that operation continues in the future.”

Your Next Read: What is the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef?

California Ranchers Facing $1.50/Acre Water Assessment

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:16:41 GMT

Environmental preservation continues to take precedence over agricultural sustainability in California. Water rights and assessments are issues California farmers and ranchers are being challenged with today.

Jack Lavers, a California rancher, explains through the years there has been a shift in water allocation since environmental concerns became a factor around the 1970s. He discussed the water issues, as well as other challenges facing California ranchers, on AgriTalk with Chip Flory.

Original state and federal water projects moved water from Northern to Southern California. These enabled agricultural expansion in the Central Valley and initially satisfied farmers and urban populations. According to Lavers, farmers only get 25% of the water today while environmental groups receive approximately half.

“They give half the water now to the environmental groups, and the other half is then split between the farms and the people — and that really becomes the issue,” he says. “Now we have this big push happening because they want to bring back fish to these rivers, and so we’re actually removing dams, and that is a very, very big issue.”

Removing the dams will eliminate irrigation.

“You’re going to see a lot of this ground that’s been irrigated for 100 years disappear — and have no value — so we can have some fish,” he explains.

New Assessment

Lavers says one of the new challenges facing agriculture today in California is a new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) assessment.

“This is actually assessed on all rural ground — they call them the white areas,” Lavers explains. “This stems from the SGMA, which is the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, that our state passed, which is just insane in itself, but they assessed $1.50 per acre assessment on your ground.”

He says they have justified the assessment because, “these guys are pulling all this water out of the ground to farm.”

He adds, “They didn’t just do it on the farmers. They did it on livestock guys that are grazing ground. Well, that adds up really quickly. If you have a 2,000-acre ranch where you’re grazing your cattle now, you’re paying an extra $2,000 a year. Right now, that’s one of your steers is gone right there off the top, just to pay for an assessment that you don’t even use.”

Wildfires Affect Grazing Land

Lavers also discussed how wildfires continue to pose significant threats to California ranching. He says the Gifford fire is causing significant damage to ranchers, burning more than 122,000 acres and forcing some ranchers to lose everything.

As the cattle producers face reduced grazing lands due to the fires, he says progress has been made working with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management opening up grazing allotments that they have closed in the past. They are also working with California Department of Fish and Wildlife to allow grazing on ground it had purchased.

“We’re having a little bit of success with that, so we’re making progress,” he summarizes.

To learn more about the challenges facing California ranchers and farmers today, be sure to listen to the full conversation between Flory and Lavers. From devastating wildfires and water allocation issues to regulatory pressures and environmental constraints, the California agricultural community continues to demonstrate resilience and adaptability.

New Partnership Expands BLM Access in California

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 15:03:39 GMT

Today, Halter announced a new partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and its charitable arm, the Foundation for America’s Public Lands (APL), to expand joint rancher and public access to BLM-managed public lands.

The partnership includes $2.7 million in funding to support ranchers using Halter on BLM-managed land.

According to the press release, Halter is the world’s leading virtual fencing and guidance system for beef and dairy cows. As the largest land manager in the U.S., BLM’s collaboration with Halter marks a major milestone in bringing virtual fencing to working ranches, advancing land stewardship and grazing efficiency.

Unlocking opportunities for ranchers

The collaboration brings direct support to ranchers adopting Halter’s virtual fencing technology to improve productivity and sustainability, while providing cost-effective and flexible land management. Virtual fencing also improves pasture management, animal health and environmental outcomes. This partnership acts as a model for how public land management can support both productive agriculture and large-scale recreation.

“This partnership with BLM and APL unlocks a number of benefits for ranchers,” says Andrew Fraser, Halter president. “It also marks a major shift in how virtual fencing technology can be brought to public lands, demonstrating what’s possible when government agencies, producers and technology providers work together. We’re thrilled about this new partnership and look forward to the public opening of a national monument and broader access to this incredible land.”

Innovative virtual fencing technology

Halter explains its technology helps ranchers run more productive, efficient and sustainable operations, while protecting animal welfare. The Halter system includes solar-powered collars for every cow, an app, and towers that provide connectivity. Cattle are guided using sound and vibration. Sound cues keep them within a virtual fence, while gentle vibrations help them move to new pasture. A low-energy pulse is used when cattle repeatedly ignore the cues, which is mostly used during training.

With GPS-enabled collars, ranchers can track where their cattle are and where they’ve been grazing, allowing them to make full use of every pasture. Keeping cattle within virtual boundaries reduces the need for permanent internal fencing and enables more efficient pasture use. This enables ranchers to bolster biodiversity, exclude sensitive land areas and waterways, protect wildlife migration zones, mitigate wildfire risk, and explore carbon sequestration opportunities.

Halter offers a cost-efficient way for ranchers to fence their land quickly and conveniently, freeing up valuable time and labor for other projects while providing the flexibility to respond quickly to seasonal or environmental changes.

Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

The first ranch to leverage the funds is Cotoni-Coast Dairies in California, where father-daughter duo Wayne and Paige Pastorino manage a beef operation, grazing on BLM land that’s becoming a new national monument.

“This land has a lot more to offer beyond just grazing,” Paige Pastorino explains. “For the past 25 years, it’s given my family a sense of purpose and connection. With Halter, we can manage how we use it more thoughtfully and be part of what the monument becomes over time.”

Located in Santa Cruz County, the national monument runs from the Santa Cruz mountains to the coastal terraces and is expected to welcome 250,000 visitors annually.

A New Era for Public Lands and Ranchers

“We’re excited to celebrate the opening of Cotoni-Coast Dairies, a valuable addition to America’s public lands,” says I Ling Thompson, CEO of Foundation for America’s Public Lands. “As the official partner of the Bureau of Land Management, we’re committed to providing innovative solutions that keep these lands accessible and productive. Our collaboration with Halter demonstrates how partnerships can bring resources like virtual fencing to support land stewardship, modern ranching and keep trails safe and clear for all to enjoy. Virtual fencing helps the Bureau of Land Management to manage these hardest-working lands for multiple uses, ensuring they remain productive and accessible for future generations.”

BLM’s Zachary Ormsby adds: “This partnership is about unlocking the full potential of our public lands. Joining forces with producers and embracing innovative tools, like Halter’s virtual fencing, allows us to create a blueprint for smarter grazing and thriving ecosystems. We’re building a future where healthy landscapes, vibrant ranching communities and responsible land stewardship go hand in hand.”

Your Next Read: Halter: Solar Charged Collars Aid Rancher Response to Summer Challenges

Wildfire Management: The Day You Plan For, But Hope You Don’t Experience

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 09:16:00 GMT

It was a non-stop adrenaline day, according to San Diego County California rancher John Austel, who describes the time in January 2025 when the Border 2 Fire threatened his ranch and cowherd.

Weather conditions had already created a bad drought year, as October to January brought California the second-driest start to the water year on record.

“It’s green but not really growing by the end of December,” Austel says. “And this year we didn’t have any germination until Feb.15 — or any rain.”

This is often the reality of rangeland ranching, and it’s why Austel has been using targeted and adaptive management since he began his grazing lease in 2014.

“We had just a little over 6.5", and our average is 10" to 12" every year,” he says.

The Austels calve in the fall, typically starting in October and finishing by the end of December.

“We had moms and babies with no real nutrition,” he says. “It was the first time in 11 years on the property I had to buy hay. Body conditions were marginal and even with feeding hay and putting out supplement, the cows weren’t happy.”

On Jan. 23, wildfire broke out in the vacant 20,000-acre BLM allotment south of the ranch that had previously burned in 2017. It was déjà vu.

“I felt like Job in the Bible wondering what else could go wrong,” Austel recalls.

When he went to bed that night, the fire was around 50 acres.

The Border 2 Fire

(John Austel)

“I wasn’t worried,” he says. “We could see the fire, but CAL Fire was out there.”

Unfortunately, the fire grew to 4,000 acres overnight. The properties are separated by a single, two-land road, which CAL Fire was planning to let the fire burn up to.

At that point, the Austels had to evacuate their 200-plus cows with their calves — some of them under 60 days of age.

“We had to move them two miles away on horseback,” Austel says. “The babies ran back because they couldn’t find their moms. It was just a big cluster. It took me four days to try to get them all paired back up.”

Later that same day, after finally sitting down and eating half of a sandwich, Austel got a call to to move his yearlings out of a pasture on the other side of the road. Luckily, those cattle were trained.

“This time, we just grabbed a bale of hay and called them — and thank God they all came running out of the canyon,” he says. “We ran them down the highway that was closed with CHP [California Highway Patrol] and CAL FIRE following them with their lights on, down to a field that we had already grazed where there was very little chance of wildfire action.”

On Jan. 23, 2025, fire started in the Otay Mountain Wildness north of the U.S.-Mexico Border and burned north toward the rangeland where the the Austel family raises cattle.

(John Austel)

The Austels used their Ag Pass , which allows ranchers to bypass roadblocks and access ranch property to evacuate livestock. Austel recalls the Bear Fire in northern California that took out Dave Daley ’s permitted forest lands and cattle herd, and how having access during these natural disasters is so important.

“Our trucks were all marked with our brands on the door to make sure they knew who was on the property,” Austel says. “We had pretty much had carte blanche to do anything and everything we needed to do to get everything out of there.”

While some of the calves ended up weaning early and some cows nursed multiple calves, nothing was permanently harmed. Austel notes his conception rates were down, but he was able to keep young replacements. Calves are typically sold mid-May, but the fire delayed their sale well in June. In addition, the Austels had stockpiled about 1,200 acres from the two previous years as reserve feed, which was also saved from the fire.

Austel continues to believe in targeted grazing and adaptive management to fit the landscape.

“I didn’t want to have a drought situation,” Austel says. “I’d rather not have to test our wildfire grazing plan this way. But it worked. There was no vegetation around the edge of this property.”

Your next read: The Realities of Ranching on the Range

The Cost of Coexistence With Wolves

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:52:24 GMT

Wolves continue to cause ranchers havoc, including significant income loss. Recent research estimates the wolves are causing some impacted ranchers in the Southwest to lose 28% of their income potential.

“While the expansion of gray and Mexican gray wolf populations is often hailed as a conservation success, the consequences for ranching families can be gruesome, costly and complex,” says Daniel Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation economist. “They are threatening the safety of ranch families and their pets and livestock, as well as the long-term survival of multigenerational ranches and the rural economies they anchor.”

Munch summarized a recent University of Arizona study that focused on the Mexican gray wolf and analyzed both direct livestock depredation and indirect effects such as stress-induced weight loss and elevated management costs based on 2024 cattle prices. Findings are based on survey responses from impacted ranchers, modeling of herd-level financial outcome and county-level livestock performance trends.

“In areas with wolf presence, even a moderate level of impact, such as 2% calf loss, 3.5% weight reduction and average management costs, can reduce annual ranch revenue by 28%,” Munch says.

While the study focuses on Mexican gray wolves in the Southwest, the core challenges it identifies — livestock depredation, herd stress and weight loss, increased management costs and difficulties accessing timely compensation — are not unique to that region. Ranchers across the northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes states report similar experiences as wolf populations have expanded.

“Because these economic stressors stem from common predator-prey dynamics and livestock production systems, the study’s findings provide a credible framework for estimating broader impacts,” he says. “This Market Intel draws on that foundation to illustrate the tangible financial risks associated with predator recovery and highlight the need for responsive, producer-informed wildlife policy in all regions affected by wolf activity.”

Key statistics shared by Munch in his article, “ Wolves and the West: The Cost of Coexistence ,” include:

$1,336 average value loss per calf due to wolves. Whether the calf was a day old or nearly ready for market, the rancher loses its full market value, estimated at $1,336 in 2024 for a 525 lb. calf.
A 2% loss of calves could reduce a 367-head ranch’s net income by 4%, or about $5,195, for that year. At higher loss levels, such as 14% of calves, net income could fall by as much as 34%, or roughly $42,599, in that same year.

When a cow is killed, the financial hit extends over multiple years.

“The operation not only loses that year’s calf, but also future offspring, along with the revenue and herd stability that cow would have provided,” Munch explains. “Ranchers then have to retain or buy replacements. This means fewer animals are available for sale, working capital must be used to buy additional replacements and herd development is ultimately delayed. Excluding these long-term impacts, the revenue loss associated with the loss of a single cow was estimated at $2,673.”

(Data: American Farm Bureau Federation)

Figure 2 displays the calculated value of calves lost under this scenario, assuming each calf is valued at $1,336. This generates a loss of 13,514 calves out of an inventory of 1.87 million calves valued at $18 million in wolf-occupied counties. The states with the highest number of calf depredations under this scenario are Montana ($3 million; approximately 2,307 calves) and Idaho ($2.7 million; approximately 2,044 calves).

Keep in mind this method assumes static wolf presence at the county level. Wolves regularly traverse dozens of miles per day, crossing county and state borders, so county-level presence can vary widely year to year.

58% of those surveyed had stress- or depredation-related wolf impacts on their operation (compared to just 38% reporting depredation).
3.5% reduction in average calf weaning weight (18.4 lb.). According to Munch a figure supported by published field research — can significantly reduce revenues across an entire herd.

At the $2.54 per lb. value reference in the study ($1,336/525 lb. average), a ranch that markets 80 head would lose out on $3,738 in marketable weight value.

“Weight loss can be much higher in regions with elevated wolf activity,” Munch says. “If that same ranch experienced a 10% reduction in weaning weight, the loss would exceed $10,600 before even factoring in additional impacts like reduced conception rates.”

(Data: American Farm Bureau Federation)

Using these assumptions about ranch exposure to wolf presence and average weight loss, Figure 3 presents the estimated revenue loss by state. In total, more than $50 million in potential calf weight value was lost due to wolf presence, including $8.6 million in Montana and $7.6 million in Idaho alone.

Ranchers reported an average cost of $79 per cow for conflict avoidance measures and associated labor.

Wolf presence forces ranchers to change the way they manage their operations — often at a steep cost. In wolf-occupied areas, ranchers routinely implement additional strategies to deter predation, respond to attacks and monitor herds across expansive rangelands.

“These management efforts are both labor- and resource-intensive,” Munch says.

Even before accounting for any depredation or stress-related weight loss, these management expenses alone reduced net returns for the average ranch by 19%. Through interviews and surveys, producers indicated they spent anywhere from several thousand dollars to over $150,000 per year on these efforts.

“For our analysis, we convert the $79 per cow figure to $55.30 per calf based on their 70% calf crop assumption,” he explains. “We then apply this per-calf cost to estimate statewide wolf-management expenses, using the study’s finding that 58% of ranchers in wolf-occupied counties experience wolf-induced stressors. Based on these assumptions, ranchers nationwide spend over $60 million each year on efforts to mitigate the impacts of gray wolves.” (Figure 4)

(Data: American Farm Bureau Federation)

All combined, on a ranch experiencing a modest 2% calf depredation and 3.5% weight loss that also spends the average reported amount on conflict avoidance, annual ranch revenues are reduced by 28% ($34,642). These combined costs, reflecting $128 million in annual costs to U.S. ranchers, are displayed in Figure 5.

(Data: American Farm Bureau Federation)

45% drop in the ranch’s long-term earning potential. The study projected what repeated losses from wolves would do to a ranch’s profitability over 30 years. Even a moderate level of impact — losing 2% of calves and 3.5% lower weights — would reduce the ranch’s net present value by more than $191,000.

“In plain terms, that’s a 45% drop in the ranch’s long-term earning potential,” Munch says.

The study estimates that, without wolf impacts, the ranch would generate about $420,000 in long-term profits (in today’s dollars). With average wolf-related losses, that shrinks to $228,000.

“While a single year’s loss might seem manageable, the effects compound over time,” Munch says. “Smaller calf crops mean fewer replacements and fewer animals to sell, while lower weights reduce revenue year after year. These cumulative impacts ripple through herd management and finances, steadily eroding profitability and increasing the odds that the operation may not be financially sustainable in the long run.”

Munch summarizes if predator recovery efforts are to be economically sustainable, they must be accompanied by policies that recognize the people on the front lines: those whose livelihoods now depend not only on their animals but also on a system that values and supports the cost of coexistence.

“That’s the heart of the issue,” Munch explains. “For many ranching families, the return of wolves is not just a wildlife management question, it’s a daily reality shaped by decisions made in distant urban centers, often by voters and officials who will never have to look into the eyes of a mother cow searching for her calf. Ranchers are the ones bearing the real-world costs of policies shaped far from the range. And they’re doing so while continuing to care for livestock, steward the land and feed a growing world.”

The Realities of Ranching on the Range

Fri, 11 Jul 2025 17:11:48 GMT

Restoring dormant land to become a productive cattle operation began 11 years ago for first-generation, southern California rancher, John Austel. He operates 4J Horse and Livestock Co. with his family, and has used targeted grazing to clean up the 10,000-acre property, which used to be a Spanish land grant. After being used as a large-scale farming and ranching operation for many years, the property changed ownership several times before selling to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and it was designated as the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve. The property, located in San Diego County, remained fallow for 25 years and burned twice during area wildfires in 2003 and 2007 before Austel began leasing it, restoring habitat and using cattle to mitigate wildfires.

“Targeted grazing, adaptive management, or prescribed grazing is a way to get these properties back into play, or at least get them managed,” Austel says. “A lot of grazing there was prime grazing that was not just good for livestock, but deer and other wildlife. A good percentage of it would turn into weeds after the wildfires.”

The Austel family have been raising cattle in San Diego county since 2014.

(John Austel)

Austel began setting up a rotational grazing program.

“I don’t know if I’ll get 3" of rain, 6.5" of rain, or 25" of rain, which is the reality of ranching on rangelands,” he says. “This process of rest and rotation lets me adapt to what the range needs and still manage the condition of my cows.”

With the backing of Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Austel restored the ranch infrastructure, which had burned along with the power lines to the wells. He replaced electric wells with solar wells using NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) funding. They broke the part of the property they currently graze into 24 different paddocks ranging from 40 to 700 acres, depending on the resource concerns they have.

“There’s a lot of terminology out there; targeted grazing is one of them,” Austel says. “I like to call it adaptive management. We’re adapting to whatever is on that particular property or resource concern.”

Using grazing to mitigate wildfires

Wildfires cost billions of dollars each year in suppression efforts and damage to property and economies. Austel would rather focus on proactive wildfire fuel reduction through grazing.

“It’s not that a paddock won’t catch fire,” he says. “It could catch fire still, but the flames are going to be four or five inches tall versus having standing dry vegetation that’s 2' to 3' tall and built up year after year after year. The flames will be 6' to 12' high. That’s been documented. The intensity of the wildfire is substantially different.”

It’s a win-win for everyone.

“The financial benefit comes for not just myself as a producer, but for my community, my county and my state from a safety and financial standpoint,” Austel says.

The Austel family set up a specific wildfire fuel removal grazing plan after almost getting burnt out in the Gate Fire in 2017.

“We had put in all this infrastructure and water sources, and I’m just watching this fire come right towards us, and it’s going to wipe us out,” he says. “We can’t just sit here and not do anything.”

The fire burned up to the two-lane road next to the ranch, and firefighters were able to put it out with hoses as that point, sparing the property. Afterward, Austel went to the captain and the local unit of CAL Fire at the time, and came up with a plan to graze around the wildfire prone areas.

San Diego county rancher, John Austel, estimated the removal of 137,500 lb. of wildfire fuel in 30 days before rotating to another field to do the same job for the wildfire fuel removal grazing plan. H braces the Grazing Exclusion Containment Area for biologists to study.

(John Austel)

“The areas that we graze in our priority area are just below million-dollar homes that are up on a hill,” Austel says. “Those people are elated that we’re there.”

Cattle are moved in for 30 days, and very little wildfire fuel is left, then the herd moves to another paddock.

“Sometimes we’re on horseback, cowboying the Western way, and we like that,” Austel says. “We love that lifestyle. Sometimes we just open a gate and call them, and they just come from one paddock to another.”

The efforts have been successful.

“Targeted grazing is an effective way of seriously removing a lot of wildfire fuel on a large landscape basis,” Austel says. “You’ve got the big girls coming in eating 25 lb. to 30 lb. a day of dry matter, and they will clean up something very, very quickly if you have it in a targeted area.”

Your next read: Wildfire Management: The Day You Plan For, But Hope You Don’t Experience

Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:22 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

Young California Couple Returns to Ranch to Build Beef Business

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 13:33:23 GMT

Nestled in the mountains an hour northeast of downtown San Diego, cattle graze the hillsides turning grass into beef to feed city dwellers.

Alli Fender and her husband, Bryce, created Flying F Ranch in 2020 and run cattle on Mesa Chiquita Ranch, which has been in her family since 1921. They market their beef to San Diego County and surrounding areas.

“This is a family business,” Fender says. “Bryce and I have our Angus cattle we care for, but we also help my dad and brother with their cattle as well. With our black Angus cattle, we sell beef direct-to-consumer in USDA retail packages and bulk whole/half shares throughout the year to Southern Californians.”

The Fenders selected black Angus for their maternal and carcass qualities, as well as being able to work well in the arid climate of southern California.

(Flying F Ranch )

The Fenders have two young sons and are expecting a third baby in June.

“We actively have our children involved in day-to-day tasks helping care for their livestock and critters they have on the ranch,” she explains. “Both boys have created a poultry business endeavor together raising Thanksgiving turkeys and meat chickens for locals in the San Diego region.”

Fender’s ranching legacy stems from her great grandpa, who immigrated from Switzerland and worked as a dairyman before eventually buying the ranch. It was then converted to beef cattle in 1990. The couple was gifted 10 bred heifers as a wedding gift in 2014 and have slowly transitioned their herd to black Angus for their carcass quality and adaptability to the environment.

Fender went to college and became a registered veterinary technician, working in the veterinary field for eight years before transitioning to the ranch full time.

Alli left a career in the veterinary tech industry to come back to the ranch and raise her young family in agriculture.

(Flying F Ranch )

“I did not think I would return to the ranch to solely work for myself and our family,” Fender says. “I always had a love and passion for agriculture and wanted to keep the legacy of our family alive. However, I thought going to college and getting a career job was what I was supposed to do based on what society has ingrained in so many of us.”

Fender says many believe staying on the farm or ranch won’t make enough money to raise a family comfortably, but she is proof it can work.

“Between being innovative, being open to diversification and having at least one spouse in the household with a solid career job has really made this possible for Bryce and I to make our dreams become reality.”

Alli handles the day-to-day management of the cattle, while Bryce works as a nurse at the local hospital three days a week. While she is thankful to be working for herself now, she has faced some challenges returning to the farm.

“This is a male-dominated field and being taken seriously as a woman in this space can sometimes be difficult — even with some of the people you think would respect you the most,” Fender says. “However, I believe throughout the years of working hard, speaking up for our community and being actively involved in cattlemen and cattlewomen groups at the state and national levels has helped me gain respect and confidence.”

Sharing Their Story

One of the hardest parts of being a young farmer was finding a niche in the industry, Fender says.

“I am a storyteller, and my current audience and clientele buy beef from us because they love our lifestyle, how we raise our animals and our story of how we got where we are today,” she says. “I think finding what makes you unique and stand out is crucial — especially when first starting out. The business will evolve but be open to what will set you apart from the rest.”

The Fenders have experienced this first hand. In the past, they only offered grain-finished beef but have had a lot of customers asking for grass-finished beef.

Alli shares about the benefits of beef to her local customers during Farmers’ Markets in San Diego county.

(Flying F Ranch )

“Bryce and I prefer the taste and texture of grain-finished beef,” Fender says. “This year we offered some grass-finished beef from open heifers we had in our herd. People who bought our grass-finished beef really have enjoyed the new option. Now, we are trying to find a way to offer both since we have a market for both.”

She says it’s important to balance what producers want to offer and what our customers are actually looking for.

“I think for the future, it is important for us to ask our customers what they want versus what we want,” she adds. “Costs will be the difficult thing to figure out. With drought, minimal grass availability and feed costs in general, our price point may need to increase. We still have to make a profit.”

In addition to selling beef through their website, Fender attends farmers markets and uses that time to communicate with consumers.

“Grain finishing cattle is more consistent and takes less time than finishing on grass,” she says. “We don’t want to deteriorate our land to raise a different product. A lot of people are conscious about things like land, the environment and climate. So, that’s another talking point I like to mention too.”

Being open to conversations and taking time to explain and answer questions goes a long way to building customer trust.

“I just explain to people, I don’t care what kind of beef you eat or what kind of beef you want to buy. If you want to buy at Whole Foods or at Walmart, it’ll be safe beef — and you shouldn’t feel guilty if you have to settle for something that you would believe is less than because it’s not. It’s going to be equally as healthy and full of nutrients that any other beef product would be too.”

In addition to the direct sales side of the business, another opportunity Fender sees for their ranch will be growing the seed stock herd of their Angus cattle.

“We see a void in our area of Southern California for access to high quality bulls and heifers with genetics that lead to longevity and efficiency into our neighbors’ herds,” Fender says. “In the next few years, we are hoping to offer cattle for local ranchers and even ranchers across the U.S. to have access to.”

Get Involved

As millennial rancher herself, Fender offers some advice to other young people interested in ranching.

“I always tell people who want to get into the cattle industry to join their local cattlemen or cattlewomen organizations,” she says. “You get to network and learn from people who have been in the industry for many years and have a passion for it.”

Fender explains there are older cattlemen or women who don’t have heirs to sell, lease or pass down ranches too, but they want to keep the ranch alive somehow.

“Some people are looking for a younger, eager person to come in and help them take over the ranch or farm. That’s where you find those kind of people in these different organizations,” she adds.

Another piece of advice Fender offers is to start small. Even though she comes from a multi-generational ranch, she has a younger brother who is also involved. Fender doesn’t expect to inherit anything. Her parents have provided assistance and guidance, but she and Bryce are building a business that will continue to grow into the future.

“I just want to make sure I have all the resources I need to create opportunity for our family,” she explains. “Part of that is starting small with our own business. We’re only selling 15 head a year when it comes to our direct-to-consumer beef sales — including our whole and half beef, plus our USDA beef we sell retail. Don’t get too crazy and in a rush. Start with selling one a year or a herd of five — whatever you can get.”

If produces don’t have land they own, leasing ground offers an opportunity to get started. In southern California, leases are hard to find. But Fender keeps her eyes and ears open all the time for new opportunities that come up.

“You just have to keep talking to people and looking up different leases that are available to you. Don’t be afraid to look into an ag or a small business loan,” she adds. “Many loans USDA has available for ranchers just sit there every year because people don’t take advantage of it or don’t realize it’s there.

She says it just takes a little bit of time, research and talking to people.

“It all starts with building that network,” Fender says.

The Fenders have hosted Farm-to-Table dinners on their ranch as a way to share more about how beef is raised.

(Flying F Ranch )

Future plans

Looking to the future, Fender hopes in the next five to 10 years, they will have their first bull and heifer sale on the ranch.

“We would love to offer purebred black Angus and commercial cattle to cattlemen both across the country and locally,” she says. “San Diego is a destination location, so it is a great place for people to bring their families for a mini-vacation and bring home some pretty cows. Additionally, I’d love to have a storefront butcher and meat shop to feature our meat products, as well as other local meats from various ranchers and farmers.”

Setting goals and moving forward remains important to Fender — who loves being able to raise her family and beef on the ranch.

“There is always something Bryce and I have an eye on that we would like to build or improve on,” she says. “For example, I would love to add more shade structures for our feeder steers, a pole barn for haystacks and an event barn for our Ranch-to-Table dinners we host a few times a year.”

Your next read: Unlocking Odde Ranch Success: How Profitability, Tech and Education Drive Innovation

California Sheriffs Join in Support of Livestock Producers' Fight Against Wolves

Thu, 01 May 2025 17:17:33 GMT

Over the past 28 days, ranchers and residents in California’s Sierra Valley have been under siege from escalating gray wolf activity. While the presence of wolves in the valley is not new, this spring has seen a dramatic increase in attacks.

The Sierra County Sheriff’s Office says it’s joining with six other sheriff’s departments in support of California’s livestock producers. The sheriffs say they are opposing environmental polices they believe threaten ranchers and farmers — including new proposed restrictions on predator management.

In a recent Facebook post, it was stated that the Sheriffs of Siskiyou, Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, Plumas, Sierra and Tulare Counties stand united in opposing environmental policies that threaten our ranchers and farmers; including new proposed restrictions on predator management.

The California Fish and Game Commission’s Wildlife Resources Committee (WRC) is proposing regulatory changes that would prohibit the taking of coyotes unless direct evidence of property or agricultural damage can be shown. This would eliminate proactive protection and force livestock producers into a depredation-based system, requiring proof of harm after the damage is done.

The Commission will meet on May 15, 2025 , to discuss these changes. If adopted, they will make it even harder for ranchers to protect their livestock from escalating predator attacks.

The University of California–Davis recently released results from a study that quantified the direct and indirect costs due to wolf-related losses. You can read more about that research: One Wolf Can Cause Up To $162,000 in Losses Due To Reduced Growth and Pregnancies

Your Next Read: Be A Good Neighbor: Check In and Watch for Signs of Stress

One Wolf Can Cause Up To $162,000 in Losses Due To Reduced Growth and Pregnancies

Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:33:23 GMT

Long believed extinct in California, a lone gray wolf was seen entering the Golden State from Oregon in 2011, and a pack was spotted in Siskiyou County in 2015. By the end of 2024, seven wolf packs were documented with evidence of the animals in four other locations. As wolves proliferated, ranchers in those areas feared they would prey on cattle.

Tina Saitone, a University of California, Davis professor and cooperative Extension specialist in livestock and rangeland economics, sought to quantify the direct and indirect costs after the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) launched a pilot program to compensate ranchers for wolf-related losses.

“There’s not really any research in the state on the economic consequences of an apex predator interacting with livestock,” Saitone says in a release from UC Davis about the project .

Results from the study include:

One wolf can cause between $69,000 and $162,000 in direct and indirect losses from lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves
Total indirect losses are estimated to range from $1.4 million to $3.4 million depending on moderate or severe impacts from wolves across the three packs
72% of wolf scat samples tested during the 2022 and 2023 summer seasons contained cattle DNA
Hair cortisol levels were elevated in cattle that ranged in areas with wolves, indicating an increase in stress

According to the Public Lands Council , “The recovery of the gray wolf is a success story for the Endangered Species Act, and the time is now to recognize that success. Delist wolves now.”

They encourage producers to contact their members of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 845, The Pet and Livestock Protection Act of 2025 .

In the press

The “Los Angeles Times” published an article on April 21 “ Beautiful, deadly: Wolves stalk rural California. ” Cattleman Joel Torres was interviewed for the article and shared how wolves are tearing into baby calves and yearlings.

In the article, Torres explained what the apex predators do to the cattle in his care at Prather Ranch, an organic farm in Siskiyou County dedicated to raising beef in a natural, stress-free environment.

Wolves often attack from behind and rip victims apart while they’re trying to flee. Once they bring a cow or calf to the ground, the pack will pick around, eat the good stuff, particularly the rectum and udders, and then leave them and go to the next one, Torres says.

There’s no saving the calves that have been attacked by the wolves. He explains he’d like to shoot the wolves, at least a few, to teach the pack that there are “consequences to coming around here and tearing into our cattle.”

But the predators remain on the state’s endangered species list, and aggressive measures to control their behavior are strictly forbidden.

Not just California
Wolf attacks are not confined in California. Since wolves were reintroduced in Colorado in December 2023, ranchers have also been dealing with depredation of calves.

As reported by Drovers, the wolves released in Colorado were from packs in Oregon that were known to have killed livestock in 2022 and 2023.

Your Next Read: Ranchers Concerned Over Six Confirmed Wolf Kills in Colorado

Against the Odds: How One LA County Rancher Controls the Uncontrollable

Wed, 16 Apr 2025 21:09:19 GMT

Ranchers deal with forces outside their control daily, including markets, weather and public policy. While these issues present challenges to cattle producers, focusing on what can be controlled gives them opportunities to remain viable in the industry.

Los Angeles County cattleman Mike Williams has found ways to use a grazing management plan, virtual fencing technology and involvement with his local and state cattle associations to meet the unique challenges of being a rancher in southern California.

“I think ranchers should always be looking for ways to improve their operations, improve their pastures and improve their genetics,” says Williams, who ranches with his wife, Lynda. “Don’t get into a comfort zone, but stay on top of what you can control.”

Williams grew up in a farming family in Idaho, and cowboyed before serving in the Army. After his time in the service, he moved to California and shod horses. The couple began Diamond W Cattle Company, a cow-calf and stocker operation, and leased land in both Ventura and Los Angeles counties to begin ranching in 2002.

Creating a flexible grazing management plan allows ranchers to adapt as needed.
Currently, the Williams’ cattle graze on 12,000 acres of leased private land in Acton near the Angeles National Forest. Even though it’s not a requirement of the lease, Williams has a written grazing plan. The high desert climate and average rainfall of 6" to 12" makes flexible resource management crucial.

“I use a grazing plan to better utilize the forage and improve the overall condition of the pastures,” says Williams, who makes decisions based on forage quantity and quality.

“The rain in this part of the country isn’t much and is highly variable in how much you get and when it comes,” he explains. “One year to the next, the amount of forage you have can vary significantly.”

Cattle graze in the meadows where Mike Williams has seen perennial grasses return since focusing on resource management. The view over the ridge is the San Fernando Valley.

(Mike Williams)

While the past few years have been better, the area experienced several droughts for about 10 years.

“You have to consider the times of year you can spend in certain parts of the pasture,” Williams explains. “There might be grass in some areas, but the water might not be adequate. In wintertime or at wetter times of the year, there is enough, but maybe not in the hottest part in the summer. I might move to another pasture sooner than I had originally planned in order to take advantage of the forage production while the temperatures are low enough there will be enough water to sustain the cows.”

The forage availability also plays a role in how Williams manages his cow herd.

“I wean my calves, and on good years I’ll keep my calves another year or at least through another season if I have the forage,” he says. “If I don’t have the forage, then I may sell the calves just after I wean them or I may keep just the heifers. Part of the drought management plan is whether or not my calves stay on the ranch or go someplace else.”

When Williams took over the lease, the land was degraded with fences, infrastructure and water resources being neglected. He began improving water sources and has two wells and three springs.

“This mountain is dry,” he says. “But the mountains are like a sponge. The water comes down out of the sky, and it just sinks into the ground, and then it comes out in springs over the years.”

Due to a lack of cross fencing and the expense of putting in fences on the nearly 12,000 acres of land, Williams began using virtual fencing collars on his cow herd two years ago.

(Mike Williams)

Incorporating technology can help save time and money.
Through the years Williams began incorporating new technology to help increase grazing capabilities, including photo monitoring, pasture management software and virtual fencing. He says he is seeing improvements, which he attributes both to grazing management and two good years of rainfall.

“I’m seeing an increase in my perennial grasses,” he says. “There’s a lot of variables, but I am seeing more resilient pastures. I’m able to see some of the spots that were degraded from the cattle spending way too much time there starting to rehabilitate. It’s a slow process, but I am definitely seeing improvements.”

Prior to starting to use virtual fencing two years ago, Williams had used a stockmanship technique to keep his cattle bunched up and herded together on horseback. This new system gives him better management.

“The problem was if you’re not there every day, or every two to three days, the cows would start getting spread out, and that’s a lot of work keeping them together again,” Williams explains.

The condition of pastures and forage availability helps Williams determine if he will keep calves and background or sell at weaning.

(Mike Williams)

The virtual fence has cut down on time and labor.

“I thought it would work as a backup; if my cows started to spread out, they wouldn’t go all over 12,000 acres, which has no cross fencing,” he adds. “I still use the herding when I really want to get impact in a certain area, but virtual fencing has been a game changer of giving me more control over land and cattle management.”

Williams also appreciates the data he receives from using technology.

“It gives me a snapshot of what my pasture is doing, and I can understand if what I’m doing is having a positive effect or a negative effect,” he says. “It takes a certain amount of time to really understand the impact your decisions are having, versus the impact of all the other variabilities you’re having, so it’s a process that takes time to kind of realize and understand.”

While grazing data is important to individual ranchers, Williams understands the importance of the science when it comes to reducing fuel loads and dry vegetation. Located about an hour northeast of the city, the LA fires in January 2025 didn’t affect Williams’ ranch, but he has been affected by previous wildfires in the state. A fire in 2017 pushed him off his lease in Ventura County, and since then he has focused on improving the soil conditions, grass and water infrastructure on the Ritter Ranch property where he runs an Angus-based cow herd.

“The worst of the fires were in areas that don’t have a lot of cattle,” Williams says. “The cattle were pushed out of those areas a long time ago, which I would attribute to be a major reason why the fires were so catastrophic.”

At one time, all those hills were grazed by cattle, Williams says.

“Fires are going to happen, but they don’t have to be as devastating as they are, and management decisions all over the state are largely responsible for the conditions we’re seeing today,” he says. “There’s no rancher I know in the state of California that hasn’t been affected at some point by fire.”

Mike Williams became involved with the California Cattle Association after they intervened in a water issue he had and were able to present science-based data that cattle were helping the streams on his property versus harming them. He sees the value in the work cattle associations do to be the voice of ranchers.

(Mike Williams )

Becoming involved in local and state cattle associations that focus on making policy decisions makes good business sense.
Wildfires in recent years have brought more awareness to the role cattle and grazing play in resource management. Williams encourages ranchers to get involved, and he currently serves as the first vice president of the California Cattlemen’s Association and the Chairman of the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB). Williams has seen the positive impact they can make for the cattle industry firsthand.

“I’m definitely sensing an attitude shift in the state among the more urban citizens,” Williams says. “People are starting to question the narratives environmental groups have been pushing, and opening up to the idea that cattle and other livestock can be a net benefit in protecting those communities from these catastrophic fires, but also in restoring these rangelands that can be better than if it just sits fallow. It’s actually worse to leave land alone than it is to use it.”

Williams sees opportunities for ranchers to stay engaged in the process and continue the momentum.

“We need to be on our game and doing things right,” Williams says. “We need to be looking for how we can be better stewards of what we got. Most ranchers are, but every one of us can improve, and we need to be looking for opportunities to improve. It’s not only good for the overall image of ranching in general, but it’s good for each of our operations. With today’s challenges, whether it’s input costs, the markets, the droughts, all the other things, you got to be firing on all cylinders in order to keep your operation afloat.”

Your Next Read: Beyond Barbed Wire: A Look At Virtual Fencing

How Feeding Calves Helped This 33 Year Old Farm Mom Recover From a Devastating Brain Tumor

Fri, 27 Sep 2024 16:53:48 GMT

If you’re trying to imagine a California dairy farm family, the Ron and Sherri Prins family could easily paint that picture for you. Holsteins and Jerseys, a handful of employees, four children, one spouse that grew up on the farm and one that married into it.

Fifteen years into growing a farm and a family together in the Central Valley of California, everything changed for Ron, Sherri and their family. Sherri was 33, and the kids were six, eight, 10 and 12. Sherri had been dealing with migraines, and she recalls the evening in May of 2000, when Ron took her to the emergency room.

“Soon after our emergency room visit, we had a diagnosis of a brain tumor,” she says. “Life changed for all of us. We knew God had a plan for our lives and would take care of us, but we still had so many things that lay ahead of us.”

Doctor visits, MRIs, phone calls and trips to a major city were only part of what was to come. The kids were all involved in school, church and sports activities, and there were 600 cows to be milked.

“We have an amazing family and church family that helped us with our children, meals and driving, and so many others that offered their help on the dairy farm,” Sherri says. “Ron’s dad took some of the workload, as well as other members of our work force.”

Sherri had brain surgery on her 34th birthday, October 3, 2000. The surgery was successful, and coming home after a week, Ron was juggling a lot. “I don’t know if I could have done it all on my own. We were so fortunate to have most of our family close by, and a lot of friends who helped out,” Ron says.

The surgery was just the beginning of a long road to recovery for Sherri and continued adjusting for the rest of the family. Sherri remembers how the kids each handled the whole thing in different ways, and was grateful that their pastor was there to help them process things.

“There was a lot of juggling schedules with everything the kids were involved in,” Ron says. “And their roles increased on the farm as they got older. There was always something for them to do after school and on weekends if they weren’t busy with something else.”

But it ended up being a specific role on the farm that made a world of difference in Sherri’s recovery. The tumor had been in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for short term memory. Ron pieced together the need for Sherri to exercise that part of her brain with an important, daily, repetitive task on the farm: feeding calves.

One year after her surgery, Sherri stepped into that role, with the kids helping after school and on the weekends. “It became a type of occupational therapy,” she says. “Working on remembering cow and calf numbers and working through calf issues translated into redeveloping the ability to manage a schedule for a family. Working back into being able to multitask was a long process, but I was pushed along by the calf feeding routine. Along the way, I learned how much I loved calf care and how important it was to helping me recover.”

Another 20 years later, Sherri is now retired from calf feeding and has redeveloped her short-term memory to the point that her farm job is to manage the bookwork. Throughout the whole process, Ron and Sherri made a point to put their trust in God’s guidance and will never take for granted the type of perspective their kids gained at such young ages.

“Life in general is full of things that are out of our control,” Sherri says. “We learned at another level that our lives as farmers, parents are all in the hands of God. We had to trust God for what was ahead, and that wasn’t always easy, but we felt his protection and direction all through the process. Our children also saw and experienced the hard things and gained a great life perspective of what is really important.”

While the hard times have the potential to cast a cloud on the family’s story, Ron and Sherri are quick to point out the good times and the blessings they’ve experienced since Sherri’s diagnosis.

“We have been able to grow our dairy (now 1,100 cows), and add acres to the farm. Which is great, but it’s also added more work for everyone. We doubled our employees, cows, bookwork and everything,” Sherri says.

Ron adds, “I think it taught us that when life throws tough times at you, you learn to push through and work it out, and in the end it always seems to work out. Like any business, it takes a team effort to be successful, and we had that.”

Sherri describes it as chaotic and wonderful at the same time. “When 20 years ago we didn’t know what the future held for us, we can look at where we are now and know that God allowed us to have so much more than we could have ever imagined.”

For more human interest stories, read:

I'm A Drover: It Started With a Brand

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:07:49 GMT

Finding another avenue to utilize resources has allowed third generation California rancher, Brooke Helsel, to continue her family’s Dot Seven .7 brand by selling direct-to-consumer beef.

Helsel’s grandfather, Jay Robinson, registered the Dot Seven brand after returning from World War II in 1946. He worked for other ranchers in the central valley, had a 60-acre homeplace and started a Grade B dairy. Eventually the opportunity to purchase land from another ranching family became available and that is the current home of the Dot Seven Ranch, which is northeast of Sanger in Fresno County. Today, the ranch is owned by Jay’s two daughters and managed by Brooke’s mom, Betsy Behlen.

The mother/daughter duo have created an arrangement where Helsel buys the calves from the ranch at weaning, then feeds outs, processes and markets the beef online and through local farmers’ markets.

“My best bit of advice, is to find something that can add to your operation, maybe it’s agritourism or new technology you can incorporate,” Helsel says. “It’s hard, but I think you really have to love whatever it is you do as the next generation. Especially if multiple generations are still active on the ranch, then you absolutely need additional ways to generate revenue. We’re not in a position to buy more California land and will not overgraze, so finding ways to add value to our beef and generate additional income has allowed another generation to be involved.”

With Betsy running the ranch, Brooke says they had to have many conversations about how to work together.

“It took a while for my mom and I to figure out the ebbs and flows and iron out details,” Helsel says. “Now we’re in a great position. She knows exactly what kind of product we want to market, and I know exactly what she needs, so we’re able to help each other. Like any new business, there were challenges, and the uphill battles still hit us today, but you stick with it. I think in the ranching world, we all have a lot of grit; we persevered and have gotten to a really good place where things just work.”

Brooke says while she always adored being around her grandfather and helping her mom on the ranch, she was more focused on sports while growing up and even walked onto the tennis team at Cal Poly. It wasn’t until college when she realized that agriculture was her true calling.

Working on the ranch.

(Amanda Rogers Photography)

“I had the animal science background from being on the ranch, and my aunt, who worked in animal pharmaceutical sales, had an interesting career, so I decided ag business and marketing was a good fit for me,” she says. After graduation, Helsel went to work for different animal health companies and currently works for MWI Animal Health.

In 2015, she began a western boutique called The Beef Boutique. Helsel felt like she was at a good place in her career where she was ready to add a new challenge.

“I have that love of marketing and figuring out new products and where they can fit in the industry,” she says. “It really started with a blog, which is kind of funny to think now that I had time to blog. I enjoy talking to consumers and having those conversations with people that don’t have the opportunity to live on or visit a ranch and connecting with them.”

Because she was spending a lot of time writing online, Helsel realized she needed to turn it into a business.

“Make Mine Beef was a slogan I coined early on with the business that kind of transformed into T-shirts and hats and different products like that. It morphed into a boutique,” she adds. “Then in 2023, I sold the boutique after moving into a direct-to-consumer beef operation.”

Selling direct-to-consumer was something Helsel and her mom had discussed for years, and she credits her mom with taking their cowherd and genetics to the next level where they were comfortable offering a high-quality product through direct sales.

Brooke and her husband, Reed, with their two boys, Jaxon and Jay.

(Amanda Rogers Photography)

“My grandfather deserves all the credit for starting this ranch and really building the foundation for what we have today,” she says. “Back then we had crosses and some color in the herd. My mom really recognized the value of Angus genetics and focused on that. It definitely shows in the quality of the meat that I get back from the butcher. As a rancher, you sell your calves at a certain age, they leave the operation and, in most cases, you don’t know where they end up, or how they grade. So being able to carry our cattle all the way through has helped us make decisions on the front end that will improve our beef on the back end. Being able to see that end product and have that knowledge has definitely been a huge benefit of starting the direct-to-consumer business.”

In addition, Helsel says getting to know the consumer and who is eating their beef has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the business for her.

“I enjoy being able to thank the person who’s buying our beef,” she says. “And when they come back, and say, ‘We had a Dot Seven steak for Father’s Day,’ it makes those really hard days where you’re like, ‘it’s 110 degrees out and we’re pulling a calf, you know, it makes those days more tolerable when you can hear that kind of the reinforcement and know you’re doing this for a reason. People are making memories around the food that we’re helping put on the plate. It’s the full circle part of it all that I’m very proud of and something that definitely gives us the energy to keep going.”

Activist Sentenced to Jail for Conspiracy and Trespassing

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 20:13:11 GMT

A California judge has sentenced a high-profile animal rights activist to 90 days in jail followed by two years of probation for his conspiracy and trespassing convictions, which stemmed from two poultry farm protests near Petaluma more than five years ago.

Wayne Hsiung, 42, co-founder of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), will serve his time in the Sonoma County jail and upon release was ordered to stay at least 50 yards away from poultry farms, is barred from interacting with co-conspirators and forbidden from entering commercial feeding operations without permission.

Hsiung, a lawyer and Berkeley resident, was convicted by a jury of eight women and four men of one felony count of conspiracy and two misdemeanor counts of trespassing. The jury deliberated for six days and deadlocked on a second felony conspiracy charge.

The charges against Hsiung stemmed from protests at Sunrise Farms in May, 2018, and Reichardt Duck Farm in June, 2019. The jury deadlocked on the charge related to the 2019 gathering, which Hsiung denied organizing.

At sentencing, Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner said the case was never about limiting free speech or activism. Rather, he said, it focused on Hsiung’s unlawful, reckless and potentially dangerous behavior.

“That behavior will not be tolerated in this county,” Waner told Sonoma County Superior Court Judge Laura Passaglia.

In his defense, Hsiung said during the 15-day trial that he and DXE were allowed on the farms’ properties under a California law that stated people may enter private property to assist animals that aren’t receiving proper food and water. Later, in his probation report, Hsiung conceded that the law applies strictly to animal shelters. He also admitted that members of his animal rights group gathered at Sunrise Farms without consent.

At the protests, hundreds of animal welfare activists invaded the properties and “rescued” chickens and ducks the alleged were mistreated. Their stated goal was to raise awareness about the birds’ mistreatment and encourage improved conditions at poultry farms. At the Reichardt facility, participants stormed the property, shut off machines and used bicycle locks to secure themselves to equipment.

Hsiung represented himself at trail and argued his intentions were not criminal. Judge Passaglia, however, disagreed, telling Hsiung there is a difference between activism and criminality, and “in this case, you chose to break the law.”

Hsiung could have been sentenced to up to three years in jail for the convictions.

A Girl, a Goat and the Law: The Shasta County, CA, Boondoggle

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 19:08:15 GMT

It is entirely possible the Shasta County, Calif., sheriff’s office and the Shasta District Fair have tarnished your image as a food producer more than any radical animal rights group. Both are guilty of actions that are at least ignorant and grossly at odds with the values the fair claims to promote.

This is a story about a 9-year-old girl and her pet goat, Cedar, and the fact grown-ups couldn’t figure out how to bend the rules enough so it didn’t end up written as a tragedy in the New York Times. That’s how it was framed by Nicholas Kristof in his column: “ What a Girl’s Goat Teaches Us About Our Food .”

The story, of course, reveals little about “our food,” but offers a smorgasbord of opportunity for the anti-meat community to criticize meat production, as Kristof does so eloquently. Indeed, the only winner in this public relations debacle is Advancing Laws for Animals , a nonprofit law firm specializing in complex, novel issues of animal law.

In fact, the tale of the little girl and her goat received nationwide press coverage on CNN , USA Today, The Daily Mail, The Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Washington Post , Inside Edition, CBS News and many others.

First, Cedar’s story. Or more accurate, how Cedar became such a notorious outlaw the Shasta County sheriff dispatched two deputies – with a search warrant! – on a day-long trip to Sonoma County to retrieve him.

A year ago Jessica Long purchased a goat for her daughter’s 4H project. The girl began preparing to show Cedar at the county fair in June. As Kristof notes, “the girl and goat bonded. Soon Cedar was running to the gate to greet (the girl), and Long says that her daughter walked around with Cedar as if he were a pet dog.”

Cedar was shown and then sold in the 4H auction where state Sen. Brian Dahl (R) paid $902 for the $200 goat, a typical premium for bidders seeking to reward young 4H members. The girl was heartbroken, and a video taken that evening shows her embracing Cedar and sobbing. Unable to bear her daughter’s heartbreak, Long gathered up both the girl and the goat and removed them. As a fugitive from justice, Cedar was taken to a hideout in far-off Sonoma County. Before doing so, she told fair representatives she would reimburse Dahl and pay for any financial hit caused by the decision to keep him.

This would be the point where reasoned adults might bend the rules for a little girl and her pet goat. That didn’t happen. Fair executives were adamant that Cedar must be slaughtered. Long says she received a call from the fair’s livestock manager who allegedly demanded she return Cedar and threatened to have her charged with grand theft, a felony, if she didn’t.

“The fair industry is set up to teach our youth responsibility and for the future generations of ranchers and farmers to learn the process and effort it takes to raise quality meat,” Melanie Silva, the CEO of the fair, emailed Long.

The fair contacted the Shasta County sheriff, who promptly dispatched deputies to apprehend the fugitive goat. This whole hot mess is headed to court.

Long has sued the Shasta County sheriff claiming deputies wrongly seized the family’s goat and then apparently handed it over to the fair authorities. In their response, the county and the sheriff’s office acknowledge that the deputies “drove to Sonoma County to retrieve a goat” and claim that “no warrant was necessary to retrieve Cedar at the Sonoma Farm as they had consent from the property owner.”

Think about this for a moment. Shasta County sent two deputies on a 500-mile, 10-hour round trip to retrieve a $200 goat! Try explaining that to taxpayers come next election.

More important for livestock producers is how the Shasta County Fair and the Shasta County sheriff – both unencumbered by intelligence – created a bonanza for animal rights zealots. Pluck any of the stories about Cedar and visit the comments section. There you’ll find responses across the country nearly unanimous in their defense of the little girl, with many using the opportunity to attack livestock production as “cruel,” “inhumane,” “abhorrent,” etc.

Here are two examples from the NY Times that accurately capture the sentiment:

Craig writes: “There’s a gigantic & worrisome unanswered question here. What kind of officials would agree to trigger such an absolutely cruel & ghoulish act against a child? Who are these people?”

R writes: “I can safely say I am completely against 4-H as an organization having learned what their values are. Insisting on slaughter and death when someone doesn’t want to participate is completely abhorrent.”

Seizing on this opportunity, Advancing Laws for Animals is representing the mother and daughter in the pending lawsuits. Whether they prevail in court is likely secondary for the legal team who will relish the chance to argue for animal rights in open court – and the press coverage the case is sure to attract.

Does All This Rain and Snow Mean La Niña Is Loosening Its Grip On the U.S.?

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:41:57 GMT

California was hammered with moisture to start the year , a significant change from the dire drought situation that’s plagued the state for three consecutive years. An atmospheric river, which causes consecutive storms with intense moisture, caused flooding, mudslides and dropped feet of much-needed moisture in the mountains.

The change from no moisture to too much precipitation in some areas is a sudden switch. It’s also planting a new question: Is the weather pattern finally changing, and will California start to dig out from the severe drought?

“That is one of the strangest things about this wet spell is that it’s coming during the third year of La Niña, which is still going,” says Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist . “We still have the cool water in the equatorial Pacific. And all signs continue to point toward La Niña is still active in the Pacific Ocean,” he says.

Rare, But Not Unprecedented

The atmospheric river produced historic rains, and proved to be a rare occurrence for an area facing three consecutive years of drought.

“This is not completely unprecedented, but it is very rare,” says Rippey. “I will say that the last time this happened was back in 2016 to 2017, when we had a weak La Niña year that year, but we did have excessive precipitation.”

Still Seeing Drought

(Farm Journal)

Even with the deluge of rain, lingering drought is still impacting the state. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 92% of California is still covered in drought. The picture is improving, though. Three months ago, nearly 41% of the state was seeing D3, or extreme drought. Today, that’s dropped to 32%.

The significant improvement is planting hope the state is possibly turning a corner and can start to recover some of the scars left from so many years of drought and dry weather. The moisture is helping replenish some of what was lost.

“I think we saw a 40- to 50-foot recovery in like two weeks in some of these basins,” says Hinz. “That is what was needed in a lot of those areas. And I would say outside of El Niño or La Niña, that that soil moisture going into spring is a very understated, impactful driver.”

Promising Snowpack

The latest snowpack assessment shows levels in the Sierra Nevada reached 250 percent of normal. Far northern California is seeing snowpack 200 percent of normal.

“Certainly, from a water allocation standpoint, we should be in much better shape in 2023 than any of the three preceding years. So that should be a boon to some of those Central Valley farmers in terms of water allocations as we move later into 2023,” says Rippey.

Active Weather Pattern to Finish January

Snow brought some drought relief to the north-central Great Plains just last week, which is good news for winter wheat and soil moisture overall, but it’s also a warning that more severe weather outbreaks could be on tap yet this month.

“The active storm track has shifted, but we remain in a hyperactive weather pattern as we head through the rest of January, just a different part of the country than what we saw for the first half,” Rippey says.

Is El Niño Knocking at the Door?

Rippey points out it’s not unprecedented to have a wet year like this during La Niña, but he says historically, it is rare. So, what about longer term?

“There’s no sign that El Niño is lurking or ready to come in. It looks like we’ll hit into a neutral condition by the spring sometime,” he says. “So, this is just one of those things, and I say this all the time when we talk about La Niña. La Niña comes in different flavors. A little repositioning of the jetstream makes all the difference in the world.”

Feds Order Trains to Deliver Grain to California Chickens

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 22:20:10 GMT

Federal regulators have ordered Union Pacific railroad to honor specific service commitments to Foster Poultry Farms in Livingston, California.

The order from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) was in response to Foster Farms Dec. 29 petition for emergency service as a result of continued deterioration in rail service from Union Pacific. Foster Farms sought the board’s assistance to ensure the supply of grain necessary to feed the company’s millions of chickens and thousands of cattle.

The order was the second emergency order issued in the past year related to delivery problems at Foster Farms as the railroad struggled with a shortage of crews.

The STB’s ordered Union Pacific to deliver specific train sets of animal feed to Foster Farms on the time schedule specified by Union Pacific in order to avert a potential significant loss of livestock, and requires the railroad to provide a status update and to inform the Board and Foster Farms in writing of any need to deviate from its proposed schedules.

Union Pacific said last month’s extreme cold and blizzard conditions slowed deliveries in 20 of the 23 western states in which it operates. Railroad spokesmen said the problems at Foster Farms should improve once five trains hauling corn that are already en route arrive.

Foster Farms has an estimated 40 to 50 million chickens at its facilities in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and has been buying truckloads of corn while it awaits the grain trains to arrive.

Beretta Family Dairy Receives California Leopold Conservation Award

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 19:07:36 GMT

Beretta Family Dairy of Santa Rosa has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 California Leopold Conservation Award^®.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the award recognizes farmers, ranchers and forestland owners who inspire others with their dedication to water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat management on private, working land. In California , the prestigious award is presented annually by Sand County Foundation , American Farmland Trust , Sustainable Conservation and the California Farm Bureau Federation .

Beretta Family Dairy was revealed as this year’s recipient during the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in Monterey. Doug and Sharon Beretta farm with their children: Jennifer, Lisa, and Ryan, and grandson Brayden. The Berettas receive $10,000 and a crystal award for being selected.

“California is experiencing intense and compounding climate pressures, and we’re working hard to respond to a cycle of drought, deluge and fire,” said Ashley Boren, Sustainable Conservation CEO, which has co-sponsored the award since its launch in California in 2006. “The Berettas don’t just manage their dairy to save water. They also protect endangered species in their local watershed, create habitat for wildlife, and reduce fire fuels. Their long-term commitment to their dairy operation and our environment stretches back decades and will continue into the future with the family’s strong leadership.”

“We are honored to join Sand County Foundation and Sustainable Conservation to recognize the extraordinary efforts of California farmers and ranchers who go above and beyond in managing and enhancing our natural resources,” said Jamie Johansson, California Farm Bureau Federation President. “The Beretta family has been in the diary business for six generations, and they continue to adapt and find innovative ways to manage their land and protect the natural environment through improving soil health, sequestering carbon and conserving energy and water while safeguarding wildlife habitat. They represent the commitment of farmers and ranchers to steward California’s treasured agricultural and natural landscapes.”

“As the national sponsor for Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Conservation Award, American Farmland Trust celebrates the hard work and dedication of Beretta Family Dairy,” said John Piotti, AFT President and CEO. “At AFT we believe that conservation in agriculture requires a focus on the land, the practices and the people and this award recognizes the integral role of all three.”

“These award recipients are examples of how Aldo Leopold’s land ethic is alive and well today. Their dedication to conservation shows how individuals can improve the health of the land while producing food and fiber,” said Kevin McAleese, Sand County Foundation President and CEO.

Earlier this year, California farmers, ranchers and forestland owners were encouraged to apply (or be nominated) for the award. Applications were reviewed by an independent panel of agricultural and conservation leaders.

Among the many outstanding landowners nominated for the award was finalist Sardella Ranch of Tuolumne County. The 2021 recipient was Marie and Glenn Nader’s Witcher Creek Ranch of Modoc County.

The Leopold Conservation Award is made possible thanks to generous contributions from American Farmland Trust, Sustainable Conservation, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sand County Foundation, The Harvey L. & Maud C. Sorenson Foundation, Farm Credit, The Nature Conservancy in California, McDonald’s, and California Leopold Conservation Award alumni.

In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac , Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”

Sand County Foundation presents the Leopold Conservation Award to private landowners in 24 states for extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. For more information, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org .

ABOUT BERETTA FAMILY DAIRY

Conserving California’s water is important when milking cows. The Berettas are dairy farmers who have long sought to improve water quality and quantity.

Located in Northern California’s ecologically and economically important Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed, the Berettas are innovators when it comes to recycling wastewater and preserving groundwater.

Doug and Sharon Beretta farm with their children: Jennifer, Lisa, and Ryan, and grandson Brayden. Doug’s father Bob had the foresight in 1968 to build a pond that secures nutrients from runoff. The nutrients are later used to fertilize pastures and crop fields. It’s one of many conservation projects the Berettas have implemented to reduce groundwater usage, improve soil health, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and protect federally recognized endangered species.

The Berettas have utilized the City of Santa Rosa’s reclaimed wastewater to irrigate their pastures and hay fields since 1981. Using recycled water has eliminated the need to draw 45 million gallons of groundwater annually. The Berettas also partnered in California’s first-of-its-kind, voluntary water quality credit trading project with Santa Rosa and the Sonoma Resource Conservation District in 2015. It aided with pasture improvements that protect water quality by reducing soil erosion and manure runoff.

Recently, Beretta Family Dairy secured a pair of grants from the California Department of Agriculture to achieve more environmental and economic efficiencies through conservation. An Alternative Manure Management grant helps reduce labor and fuel costs with a new barn scraper system and a manure separator that eliminates methane. Compost derived from the separation process is used as cattle bedding, which eliminates their need to purchase sand. A Healthy Soils Program grant will improve forage productivity by spreading compost on pastures, utilizing a no-till drill to seed grassland, and designing a new rotational grazing plan.

Due to volatile prices in the conventional milk market, the Berettas made the decision in 2006 to transition to organic production for a better and more stable pay price. In doing so, they also began switching from the Holstein to Jersey breed. Jersey cows are better grazers and their smaller frames create less compaction on the soil.

The Berettas graze their cattle on wetlands, thoughtfully managing these areas for their ecological significance with beneficial grazing practices. That includes 200 acres of wetland that they lease from the State of California. The combination of irrigation and managed grazing of pastures and wetlands has helped reduce the likelihood of wildfire.

As Santa Rosa’s city limits have grown, Beretta Family Dairy has become a refuge to turkeys, pheasants, and deer. The farm’s ponds serve as nesting areas for waterfowl, and its pastures are covered with 100-year-old valley oak trees.

The Laguna de Santa Rosa watershed’s unique ecological communities compel the Berettas to use careful farming practices that benefit the natural systems they work within. That includes farming with three endangered flowers, one of them endemic to the Laguna, and an endangered, distinct population segment of the California tiger salamander.

Long ago, Doug Beretta was taught that you only milk as many cows as your land can handle. That advice is just part of the conservation ethic that has guided Beretta Family Dairy for more than 70 years.

LEOPOlD CONSERVATION AWARD PROGRAM

The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. Sand County Foundation presents the award in California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and in New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). www.leopoldconservationaward.org

AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through its No Farms, No Food message. Since its founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally sound farming practices on millions of additional acres, and supported thousands of farm families. www.farmland.org

CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION

The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 31,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of nearly 6 million Farm Bureau members. cfbf.com

SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION
Sand County Foundation inspires and empowers a growing number of private landowners to ethically manage natural resources in their care, so future generations have clean and abundant water, healthy soil to support agriculture and forestry, plentiful habitat for wildlife and opportunities for outdoor recreation. sandcountyfoundation.org

SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION

Sustainable Conservation helps California thrive by uniting people to solve the toughest challenges facing the state’s land, air and water. Since 1993, it has brought together business, landowners and government to steward the resources that all Californians depend on in ways that are just and make economic sense. Sustainable Conservation believes common ground is California’s most important resource. suscon.org

California’s Plant-Based Push Grows More Legs with LA Support

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 19:48:42 GMT

The Los Angeles, Calif., City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to adopt its resolution in support of the global Plant Based Treaty initiative. Pending concurrence of the mayor, it will become the world’s largest city to endorse the treaty.

According to the Plant Based Treaty website, the initiative rests on three core principles:

• Relinquish— No land use change, ecosystem degradation or deforestation for animal agriculture

• Redirect—An active transition away from animal-based food systems to plant-based systems

• Restore—Actively restoring key ecosystems, particularly restoring forests and rewilding landscapes.

As C40 cities—with a mission to halve the emissions of the cities within a decade—Los Angeles joins Buenos Aires in endorsement of this treaty.

Specifically, regarding animal agriculture, the treaty intends on halting expansion of animal agriculture and promoting a shift towards plant-based diets.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports , in 2021, dairy products and milk contributed $7.57 billion to the state—the highest total of over 400 commodities. California claims the country’s largest dairy industry, with 1,400 dairies totaling approximately 1.7 million cows. Meanwhile, cattle and calves contributed $3.11 billion to the state with nearly 5.2 million head.

Multiple animal rights groups, including the PawPAC and the Animal Alliance Network, praised the decision of the city council, proclaiming the importance of “reversing the crisis” and preventing further climate change as a need for their constituents and beyond.

According to a press release, the Plant Based Treaty’s global movement is to help pressure national governments to negotiate a global treaty that will focus on the following:

• Halt the global expansion of deforestation attributed to animal agriculture

• Incentivize a plant-based food system

• Encourage public information campaigns about the benefits of plant-based foods

• Free up land and waters to rewild, reforest and restore the Earth’s oceans

• Allow a just transition to more sustainable jobs, healthier people and a thriving planet

Also worth noting, this California initiative follows within months of President Biden’s “Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe and Secure American Bioeconomy,” which explains that, “assessing how to use biotechnology and biomanufacturing for food and agriculture innovation, including by improving sustainability and land conservation; increasing food quality and nutrition; increasing and protecting agricultural yields; protecting against plant and animal pests and diseases; and cultivating alternative food sources,” is part the action plan focus.

Additionally, California’s Proposition 12 case—a California law banning the sale of pork within the state unless pregnant pigs are allowed at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens—was recently heard in the U.S. Supreme Court .

Whether cultivating alternative meat in a lab or encouraging an all plant-based diet, the push against livestock production and animal-based food products continues to grow.

California Approves Plan to 'Move State Away From Oil' by 2035

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

Noting an urgent need to address climate change while cutting back on air pollution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Thursday to require all new cars and light trucks sold by 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles.

Lauren Sanchez, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate advisor, called it “a huge day not only for California but the entire world.” The mission, she said: “Move the state away from oil.”

Liane Randolph, chairwoman of the CARB, said the rule is one of the state’s most important efforts yet to clean the air and will lead to a 50% reduction in pollution from cars and light trucks by 2040.

The EV Scoop

Congress gave California permission to set its own rules under the Federal Air Quality Act of 1966 when the state was combatting the toxic yellow-brown smog that hung over Los Angeles.

The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California’s authority to regulate its own air quality, but the Biden administration restored that authority earlier this year.

Already, 15 states , including Colorado and Minnesota, as well as states on the Northeast and West Coast, followed California’s previous zero-emission vehicle regulations.

New York, Oregon, Washington state and Rhode Island officials they plan to adopt California’s rule through their own rule-making process, while New Jersey and Maryland officials said they were reviewing California’s decision. Public comment in Washington state on a similar plan will start Sept. 7.

More than 16% of new cars sold in California in 2022 were zero-emissions vehicles, the state said , up from 12.41% in 2021 and 7.78% in 2020.

What’s Next for America and Electric Vehicles

The rules won’t be immediate and will go into effect in 2026. The mandate forces automakers to phase out gasoline and diesel cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks in favor of cleaner versions powered by batteries or fuel cells. If automakers do not comply, they could be charged $20,000 per noncomplying car, CARB said.

What if consumers don’t go along? One option: People could still buy internal combustion cars from another state without the mandate. And it will still be legal to buy and sell used fossil-fuel cars and light trucks.

Under the new rules, 35% of new cars must be zero emission by 2026, 51% by 2028, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. The quotas also would allow 20% of zero-emission cars sold to be plug-in hybrids.

The mandate doesn’t cover all of highway transportation: Heavy trucks that burn diesel fuel will have 10 extra years before they are banned. A proposed zero-emission mandate for heavy trucks wouldn’t hit 100% until 2045.

Also, up to 20% of a carmaker’s sales can be plug-in hybrids, which have both electric motors and gas engines, and still count as zero-emission, as long as the minimum battery range is 50 miles or more.

As part of the California mandate, the state will require specific levels of warranty protection for EV batteries and related components.

Notable Hurdles for EV’s

One of them is that an electric car still costs far more than an equivalent gasoline car. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average EV sold for $66,000 in July, compared with $48,000 for the average international-combustion vehicle.

CARB officials pointed to studies that show savings in fuel and maintenance can make an EV a better financial deal over time, and that prices would continue to drop.

Charging is another hurdle. While homeowners can install their own EV charger in a garage, most people who live in apartment buildings and condos don’t have that option. California plans to require multifamily housing landlords to provide some way to charge electric cars.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, said California’s mandate would be “extremely challenging” for automakers to meet.

“Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage,” Bozzella said in a statement. “These are complex, intertwined and global issues.”

State officials said the rule is critical to meeting to state’s goal to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2045, and that resulting emissions reductions would lead to fewer cardiopulmonary deaths and emergency visits for asthma and other illnesses.

Ag Industry Responds

While environmental groups were largely very complimentary, some said the CARB rule didn’t go far enough. The National Corn Growers Assn. (NCGA) released the following statement:

“As NCGA told regulators during the rulemaking process, constraining the vision of a zero-emission future prevents the state from tapping into the immediate and affordable environmental solutions that come from replacing more gasoline with low-carbon and low-cost ethanol, in both current and new vehicles, including new plug-in hybrids,” NCGA wrote. “Ethanol is on a path to net zero emissions, and NCGA will continue to work with and urge California to use all the tools in its toolbox as it addresses climate change and cuts harmful tailpipe emissions. As recent University of California, Riverside, vehicle testing for CARB found, higher ethanol blends, like E15, significantly reduced most criteria air pollutants compared to standard 10% ethanol blends.”

California Loosens Feral Hog Hunting Rules

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:56:14 GMT

California governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new law designed to help reduce the state’s estimated 400,000 feral hogs.

Senate Bill 856 passed with unanimous support in both the state Senate and Assembly and will allow licensed hunters to kill an unlimited number of the wild pigs. The new law also lowers the tag prices for hog hunting and seeks to legalize the hunting of wild pigs at night. The law also prohibits the intentional release of a pig to live in the wild.

“I commend the governor for bringing us a step closer to controlling our destructive wild pig population, which is exploding across California,” said State Senator Bill Dodd of Napa in a press release. “These non-native, feral animals are endangering sensitive habitats, farms, and wildlife. By increasing opportunities to hunt them, we can reduce the threat to our state.” According to Dodd, invasive wild pig populations have taken root in 56 of California’s 58 counties. He says that the removal of all remaining pig hunting restrictions will allow for better population control and habitat management.

While the bill gained unanimous support from state legislators, significant opposition came from the hunting community. Rick Travis, legislative director for the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA), said the new law would reduce money for conservation since it reduces pig hunting license feeds. He also worries about a rise in poaching that may come with unregulated night hunting.

Nationwide, states are aggressively seeking ways to control the rapidly expanding feral pig population. The pigs were found in 544 counties 40 years ago but were present in 1,915 counties in 2020.

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For more human interest stories, read:

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A Girl, a Goat and the Law: The Shasta County, CA, Boondoggle

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Still Seeing Drought

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What’s Next for America and Electric Vehicles

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California Loosens Feral Hog Hunting Rules